“If you give a man a fish, they eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, always eat.” Lao Tzu

The Long Weekend looming since Monday 26 January is a holiday in Australia, simply named Australia Day. A large picnic reinforcement, barbecues and sometimes even fireworks, Australians celebrate the arrival date of the First Fleet of settlers 1788. But from the perspective of the first true inhabitants, this date is only the Invasion's Day or the Day of Survival, not something to cheer for Aborigines.

Claire Waterhouse

TS Waterhouse

For us this means above all that we can put the search for a job on hold. After a morning greasy and cold shower we drive to the north and the town of Bridport, then further east after fifteen kilometers on a sandy track we enter the Waterhouse Conservation Area. Several free camping areas dot this reserve, it is called Village Green that we settle with the luxury hybrid toilets - toilet dry with a reserve rainwater for a brief chase. A few steps lead us on a beautiful beach with impressive tides overlooking Bass Strait.

Children Games

End of the day at the Waterhouse

Our neighbors are young people and families come to spend here their three-day weekend, we talk to some corner of their fire before finding the only downside to this little piece of paradise : horseflies, although quite slow to be stunned, they are not doing less badly when they manage to bite you !

The night brings squall and rain before the sun comes out about nine o'clock the next morning, but the wind leaving us no respite this Sunday relaxation spent in the tent or in the car between crosswords, reading or Rubik's Cube. If there are fewer breaks Monday, horseflies are back but this does not prevent us from enjoying the place between walks in the bush, on the beach or play volleyball with the ball to Australian colors that left us the previous owners of the car. In the morning the beach is completely smoothed by the water that is removed, then after a few hours, thousands of small crabs out creating lots of sand pellets !

Before crabs ...

After crabs !

Most of our neighbors returned to their lives and work, we have a new : Anton, seventy five, German living in New South Wales for a long time who after lending us a pan and an ax, invites us around his fire where we spend the evening.

Anton German NSW

Ronald apprentice sinner

Tuesday morning we are going to fish with him or rather he is the one who fishes for us as he promised yesterday, although he lends his fishing rod to Ronald for an inconclusive test. We leave the place with two fish marinating in oil and salt which we cook on the barbecue the evening of return to Scottsdale.